Germany introduces border controls with five neighbours from Monday

Record ID: 1464763

  • Title: Germany introduces border controls with five neighbours from Monday
  • Date: 15th March 2020
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER HORST SEEHOFER ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER HORST SEEHOFER SAYING: "I decided today that border controls will be temporarily introduced on the borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark." VARIOUS OF MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER HORST SEEHOFER SAYING: "Ladies and gentlemen, coronavirus is spreading at a quick pace and aggressively. In Germany as well as neighbouring European countries there are many new cases of the disease reported every day. We must assume that the climax of this development has not yet been reached. The situation is very serious, and we must and will react, this has happened in many areas, and one of the most important measures in protecting our population from infection is breaking the chain of infection." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER HORST SEEHOFER SAYING (ON BEING POTENTIALLY EXPOSED AT AN INTERIOR MINISTER'S MEETING IN BRUSSELS) "I did a test, it was negative thank God for all members of my delegation, but the doctor recommended I avoid being in public, and also social contact. That's why I was at home a few days. When was I back in the ministry but not out in public? Since Tuesday? Oh, so long already? I can tell you according to my personal experience it is possible to run a ministry even from home." (LAUGHING) SEEHOFER'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER HORST SEEHOFER SAYING (ON REPORTS THAT WASHINGTON IS TRYING TO POACH A GERMANY COMPANY WORKING ON A VACCINE TO MOVE RESEARCH TO THE US) "I can only say I heard that several times today from regional members who this concern. We will talk about this in the crisis meeting tomorrow." REPORTER WRITING ON NOTEPAD NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2020 19:53
  • Keywords: Germany borders Seehofer border closure coronavirus coronavirus Germany
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA001C55XHL3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Germany will temporarily introduce border controls on its frontiers with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark from Monday (March 16), the government said on Sunday (March 15) as the country seeks to curb a rapid spread of coronavirus.
    Germany is facing an aggressive progression of the illness, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.
    He told a news conference the controls will take effect from tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT).
    As of Sunday, there were 4,838 cases of coronavirus in Germany, with 12 deaths, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said. That was a sharp rise from 3,795 confirmed cases, with eight deaths, a day earlier.
    German government sources told Reuters on Sunday that the U.S. administration was looking into how it could gain exclusive access to a potential vaccine being developed by a German firm, CureVac.
    Seehofer said it would be a topic discussed at a crisis meeting on Monday.
    (Production: Oliver Barth, Barbara Woolsey)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register